A Second Chance
by BluffBrant
Summary: The world of Ninja is now a barren, uninhabited wasteland, save for one Demon. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze stands alone in the empty world of Ninja, but is given a second chance to live the life he wanted. Naru/Yorui...may be other pairing or two.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone. This is the Naruto/Bleach crossover that was chosen in the polls. Now, this story is still in the works, so please do the other poll that dictates the pairing of this story. If no one does that, then I'll be forced to choose a pairing that not everyone might like. So do your self a favor and go to my profile page and do the poll. Ok...thats over. On with the story!

**A Second Chance**

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**The Offer, Prologue**

In a world such as this, one embraced by a cloak of shadows, it is difficult to spot the few specks of light and hope that are surrounded by the masses of darkness. Because of this, it is much easier for us to see only the darkness of life and not the light. Those who see nothing but darkness do so, because they cannot see the light. Some of us were born with higher breaking points than others; we are able to see the light in life instead of the overwhelming darkness that far outweighs it, because we can withstand the terrible things life throws at us. However, others are not so lucky and their limits are broken far easier, causing them to see nothing but darkness, while being drowned in life's sorrows. And even when the world crumbles around us, those who see the light serve as pillars that support what has not yet fallen. Those who see light have to the duty of shying away the darkness, making way for more than a mere speck of light; they allow rays of light to shine through the blanket of shadows that is ever present.

I am one those people that has to withstand all that life gives. I have to allow more light to be shine into the world. Even if it means, sacrificing my own light and much, much more. Even if it is the exact opposite of what everyone expects me to do. Even if I am told to give up, ridiculed, hated, and misunderstood. Even if I'm against seemingly impossible odds. Even if I have to put all others before me, even those that do not deserve it. And lastly, even if it means eliminating those who cast the darkness itself, no matter who they are.

My name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. I have watched the world crumble to pieces around me, no matter how hard I tried to prevent it. I have watched countless people die meaningless deaths; those who were close to me and those who were not. I've seen civilization forced to its hands and knees, all because of one man's dillusioned plan for peace and control. He said that he wanted to the world to be without chaos, war, conflict, hate and replace it with eternal peace. An honorable, but foolish goal. However, the ends would never justify the means in his plan. He simply wanted to control every single person in the world, preventing them from living their own lives; but that would only be a cowardice escape from actually fixing the problem. Although, maybe he was right in his intentions. Maybe he **knew** that true peace just wasn't possible and force was the only way to make it happen. Maybe he **knew **that the world was always and will always be in a constant state of war; therefore, peace was simply not possible.

Yet, he had no right to decide such a thing. That is the reason peace is not possible. Who can ultimately decide what was right and wrong, black or white? No one can. Not without others disagreeing. People will always want different things. It's why the world is separated and always will be; the people of the world will never unite, unless it is forced to, in which the chances are slim to none. It's why peace should not exist; the means to achieve it are never peaceful. Even so, certain people will never seize to strive for peace. Knowing it is impossible just causes them to try harder. My Sensei was on of those people. He knew he would not accomplish this, so he passed the torch to me, probably knowing I couldn't do it either. I tried though. I tried as hard I possibly could, yet continued to fail repeatedly. What is of the world should be the absolute proof of such failings. Bringing peace to a world that thrives on war and killing is just impossible. No matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, you **will** fail.

Being burdened with such a responsibility would bring and normal man to his knees. I never fell, but I stumbled. I could not fall. Too much depended on me. Too many depended on me, even if they didn't know it. If I fell, so would they. I could not allow that to happen. The burden of regret would eventually be the thing to bring me to my knees though. I **did** fail. I wanted to say it wasn't my fault, even if really wasn't, but a part of me will never believe that. A voice that will never go away will force constant whisperings of failure into my mind, never allowing me to have a peaceful state of mind. Sad is it not; the one place peace is possible is taken away from me.

I did unspeakable things, attempting to accomplish my goal. In a world such as this, I can not be the 'hero' everyone expects me to be. I could not accomplish my goals by ordinary means that are deemed, good. I did unspeakable things. Things that others would regard as evil or dark. However, sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. Sometimes it is necessary. In order to gain the power to do what was needed, I made a deal with the devil, or at least the closest thing to the devil you'll ever find. I sacrificed a part of my soul in order to become something more than human. I knew I would be seen as a monster, but I was willing to accept that; I was never seen as human in the first place. What others thought of me eluded my concern long ago anyway.

Anyway, I made a deal with the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The very demon that was sealed away in me at birth. The very same demon that almost destroyed my home village. The very same demon that basically made my life a living hell. I wanted to become something more and he wanted to live forever, no matter how pitiful his existence would be. I wanted immortality because I would need **time** to accomplish my goals, and if I was immortal than so was the Kyuubi once more. He was reluctant at first of course, but he didn't really have a choice; I knew, he knew it, we both knew he would accept eventually.

Now usually, in this world, when you hear of immortality, you think many things. In this world, the meaning of immorality has been skewered and twisted into something unrecognizable. True immortality means unending life. It means that time does not effect the body and spirit, but only the mind. It simply means everlasting. I knew of a few men who claimed to be immortal. Two of them surprisingly achieved it. The means they achieved it through were unnatural though. One was given immorality by the power of the cursed eyes of his own brother. The other gained it through religion, which may seem natural, but it wasn't. And although my means to gain immortality were much darker than theirs, my intent was not the same. They intended to use it for their own selfish, destructive means. I intended to use it so I could help those I cared for, even if they didn't see or know it. Did my end justify my means? I liked to think so, but I really don't know.

In the end it didn't matter. The end I strived for never came. An end came for sure, just not the one I wanted. But maybe this end was meant to happen. Usually when the entire world is in danger of being destroyed, some higher force wants it to happen. Things like this just don't happen because of one man's greed. Even so, I couldn't accept that. I wouldn't believe that the world had to be destroyed. No matter how much evil and darkness there was in the world, there was too much good and hope to be discarded on a whim. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.

XXXXXXX

I sat upon the once great Hokage Monument, looking over the once upon a time Konoha. The village that used to be alive, majestic…and populated. Now it was in ruins, covered in a thick layer of ash and dust. It was completely desolate, just as the rest of the world was. Not a sound could be heard. There were no sounds. All but the faint breeze that carried the now stale air of the world. I looked at the sky and couldn't help but frown. The sky used to blue with white fluffs moving about it. Not blood red, with clouds darker than night itself.

I laughed a bitter laugh. It used to rain. It used to storm. No more though. The world had become a barren wasteland. It's rather ironic. I made a deal with devil in order to live forever. Now I would give anything to die. Life was pointless now. The very reasons I live disappeared. I lived to protect, yet I failed spectacularly. There was nothing to protect. Yet, some small part of me didn't want to leave this world. I knew it was foolish to want to be a part of this world anymore, but… Sigh.

I held immense power, unimaginable power. I held the power of the most powerful demon in existence, but even that could not deter the events that were set into motion. It was if was set in stone, as if it was destiny. I hated that word, that and fate. I refuse to believe that no matter what you did in life, you will always end up at the same spot, in the same situation. Fucking bullshit. We are given the ability to make choices, no matter what. It would be pointless if these choices didn't effect our end, but only how we get there.

I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I didn't turn around. I dint need to, I knew who it was. The only true _God_ there was. The Shinigami. The manifestation of death. Ironic that he…it actually controls a lot more than the flow of death. It controlled _everything. _It controlled life, death, creation, destruction, time…just everything and anything. It could end a world with a simple snap of his finger if it wanted to.

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." The entity said in a slow, deep, raspy voice. Then it laughed. It laughed a cruel, torturous laugh. Like nails on a chalkboard. "How is it? To be the only one left, just as you wished. Do you like it? How does it feel to break the rules or mortality, the rules I laid down myself. How does it feel to defy a god, to defy nature, to defy me?" It said with what looked like a smirk on its ghostly face. I turned to look at the near transparent figure of the Shinigami, but did not respond. It continued, the smirk leaving its face. "It wasn't enough was it? It never is for you. No matter what you do, it's never enough. You gave up your very humanity and soul, thinking it would be enough. You can deny it all you want, but you know that you were born to fail…at least in this world you were. Everyone has more than one fate, Naruto. You should know that better than anyone. You didn't deserver the fate that received. You were given an impossible task, that all needed you to accomplish, yet even they did not believe you could do it." It paused. "For that I am truly sorry. I, the Shinigami, offer you repentance in the form of another chance. Not through time though, but through space. Even _I_ do not want to meddle with time. You will have another chance at saving a world…I know you want to. It's just who you are. A protector, who will protect at all costs."

I stared into the black depths that were the Shinigami's eyes. I could easily feel the fear the emitting itself from the Kyuubi. The Shinigami had the power to take its soul and rip into a million little pieces. I did not fear death. If I could, I would embrace it, but I knew that there was no escape from the hell I put myself in. No end to the immortal life I gave myself. No end….what a terrible fate. The Shinigami did have the power to give me another chance. Again, with a measly snap of his ghostly pale fingers. I would accept it. I only other choice I had was to wait out eternity in the empty world I was currently stuck in. I made it look as if I was thinking over what to do. Neither of us was fooled. I stood up and faced the Shinigami before it moved first.

The Shinigami slowly waded toward me through a nonexistent pool of liquid. I dared not move. Not because I was afraid, but because what was about to happen was inevitable; anything the Shinigami wanted to happen was inevitable. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I dared not move. The Shinigami slowly lifted its frail looking arm when it was no less than a foot from me. He placed its deathly(ha ha) cold hand on my forehead. The touch paralyzed me. All at once, a tirade of information flowed into my mind too fast to make any sense of it all. So much information filled my head at once, I thought my head was going to explode. The pain almost brought me to my knees, but I withstood the pain, like always, and was left with the feeling of dizziness as the Shinigami removed his hand.

"This shall help you through your journey, Naruto. Knowledge you have no right to know…yet you deserve this of all things." I heard the Shinigami speak barely through my dizzied state. Images and information appeared in my mind, too fast to make out any of it still. Just a useless, painful headache, until the information sorted itself out. It wouldn't take long; I had two minds after all. I began the motion of sitting down, yet nothing was there to sit on. I unconsciously waved the hand the wasn't holding my head, and a crude seat of rock rose from the earth. Element manipulation is a very handy thing. I sat there, waiting for the information running through my head actually make any sense. For over five minutes, I sat in silence, slowly gaining the knowledge the Shinigami granted me. I gave a low, bitter chuckle once the information sorted itself. The Shinigami was cruel entity indeed.

I looked up to the Shinigami, who was standing before. Its face held a cruel smirk, finding whatever I found out, just as amusing. "You know of everything you need to know of that world. I have no doubt you will be perfectly fine. You _are_ a demon, are you not? Yes…Yes you are. A terribly powerful demon at that. You should be fine, indeed. The faux demons there should be no match for you. But to save the world is not the main reason why I am sending you there. As I said before, I am giving you another chance, another life. This may seem like trading one hell of another. One war for another. But compared to this world, the world I'm sending you to is much more calm and forgiving. I'm giving you another chance at happiness. Another chance to finally achieve your dreams and goals, and not those of others." It paused and looked over its shoulder, where a traditional Japanese sliding door appeared out of thin air and opened, revealing a white blank space. "As you know, the world you will go to risks the chance of veering into chaos. The balance I set, is in danger of being upset." The Shinigami said. He paused. "As I said, this should be a simple task for you. Another fool attempting to break the boundaries. You have dealt with many like this."

Despite my self, I smiled at that last part. Yes, I have dealt with those like that. "This should be no problem. No problem at all." I said. I looked to the gate that was still there. "So, I will be leaving immediately? Fine by me." I sighed tiredly before standing up. I looked at the Shinigami once more. Surprisingly, his face held a small smile, and his features were as soft as they could be.

"Do find what you are looking for in life, Naruto. I have taken too much from you for the things you truly want to constantly be out of reach. Do not waste this chance I am giving you. That would be foolhardy. And remember, not all demons are evil, nor all angels good. Don't judge a book by its cover as you humans would say. You are what you are. And _you_ are not a monster, Naruto. You hold to much good in you to be called a monster. Your ends would have justified your means if things went the way you wanted them to. All good things in the universe come at a price. You know this better than most." The Shinigami paused an looked back into the gate. "Please make use of this opportunity. And lastly, farewell Naruto."

I didn't bother replying, instead I just looked at the Shinigami with a smile and nodded. No words could possibly portray how thankful I was, so I dint speak at all. I walked to the gate, but stopped when I was directly in front of it. "Thank you." I whispered. "For everything. I _will_ _not_ fail this time." I paused, before chuckling to myself. "Believe it."

With those last words I walked into the light, never to look back at the world I failed to protect. I couldn't bear the shame. Once I walked into the light I closed my eyes, waiting for it open again in my new home. The new home, that I would save from the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone. This is the next chapter of, A Second Chance. Now, the I know that the first chapter was in first person, but the rest of the story will be in third person. I do enjoy writing in first person, but a third person point of view makes it easier. Anyway, the poll was closed, and the pairing will be Naruto/Yoruichi. I _may_ have another girl in the paring if you guys really want me to. Well, here's the next chapter!

**A Second Chance**

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**Chapter 1,Plans**

The rain pelted down onto the darkened city street as a shadowed figure stood above a heavily bleeding teen, who was lying on the ground with a broken sword in hand. The standing figure, Kisuke Uruhara, held a soaked umbrella to shield himself from the offending water droplets, as he stared down at the pain stricken teen. He had hid himself and watched the previous battle, unseen by the participants. Ichigo had to learn; he had to learn how much more powerful others were than him. It would make his drive all the more stronger.

A sudden voice surprised him, breaking his train of thought.

"You're quite the manipulator aren't you, Kisuke?" The voice sounded calm and patient, with no hurry, as if it had all the time in the world. The shopkeeper calmly turned his head to the side to look at the owner of the voice. A young man, by the looks of it, was crouched on the raised edge of the sidewalk with his arms rested on his knees. He was currently wearing black cargo pants and a sleeveless orange zip up hoodie. The hood was down though, as if he didn't care if he was getting drenched by the rain. His frame was packed with muscle, but not enough for it to slow him down. His long, blond spiky hair fell around his face, plastered to the skin by water. His face was sharp, with little fat present on it, and on each of his cheek, there were three birth like whisker marks. His eyes were the most noticeable thing about face though; his eyes were of a violet hue, and his pupils were slanted vertically. Except for the eye color, he looked very much like a fox. He was looking at Kisuke with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, and what might you be doing this fine night? Perhaps, you decided to take a stroll and just happened to find something interesting? Although….That would be quite the coincidence, now wouldn't it?" Kisuke spoke in a happy tone, showing his cheery façade.

The crouched figure's smirk grew into a smile, clearly amused by what the shopkeeper said. "Yes, that would be quite the coincidence."

"So…" Kisuke paused, taking out his fan and putting it before his face. "Why are _really_ here…Naruto? It's been quite a while since I last saw you."

The figure, now known as Naruto, looked to the sky in though. "Hmm….I was just curious, that's all. Curious as to what you plan to do with that young man there." Naruto said while pointing to Ichigo. "And of course, I was extremely bored; and whatever you plan to do will probably be exciting, no?" Naruto looked back to Kisuke with a large smile on his face, showing his teeth along with his canines, which look more like fangs than actual human teeth.

Kisuke smiled behind his fan; Naruto was always one for fun. "Is that so? Well, you might be in luck then. I plan to prepare this young Ichigo here for entering the Soul Society, and then enter the Seireitei to save Rukia Kuchiki from her execution. Does that sound fun to you, Naruto?"

Naruto closed his eyes in thought. "Well…Infiltrating Seireitei does sound very exciting. Doing this would mean many confrontations with the Captains class opponents." Naruto paused. "I'm in!" He exclaimed after a few seconds of thought.

"Are you sure can handle yourself? You've never shown any of your, unique as you call them, powers of yours to me."

Naruto's large smile returned. "I'm sure I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry yourself over something like that. You _do _know that even if I haven't showed you my unique powers, I'm still quite capable with what I _have_ shown you." Naruto said.

"Yes, you have said that many times. And yet I'm still unsure as to whether you're right or not. And I've never seen the true extent of what you've shown me either."

"Look at this way. You and I are very similar in the way that neither of us show our power unless absolutely needed. Since I've met you, there hasn't been a time where my powers, or yours, were needed. However, with this Aizen guy coming into play, I know that your powers will be needed, so mine will be too."

"Yes, my powers will be needed once he makes his move. And you will be forced to use yours also. I look forward to seeing these _unique_ powers of yours."

"Soon my friend, very soon. I have no intention of letting a power hungry fool become something he shouldn't be. You and I are on the same boat with this. And remember, I know little about you too, so it's only fair if you know little about me. Right?"

Kisuke gained a thoughtful look on his face. "Yes, I suppose your right. Anyway…if you're looking to do something exciting, you could be a guard of sorts for Ichigo and his friends. What do you say?"

Naruto closed his eyes in thought. "His friends you say? Do you think their prepared for this? I know that they have also acquired special powers due to Ichigo's utter lack of control, but they are not in the same league as Ichigo here. They would be torn apart if they entered the Seireitei."

Kisuke's cheerful grin only grew. "Ah, but that's why you're going to go with them. Oh, and did I mention that Yoruichi is also going?"

Naruto's eyebrows rose and a small smirk appeared on his face. "You drive a hard bargain there Kisuke. But, I think I'll accept your proposal. This should be very fun indeed. Oh, and by the way…can I, by any chance, stay at your shop?" At the last part Naruto started to scratch the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

Kisuke sighed in an over exasperated manner. "Well, I suppose. Yoruichi will be happy to see you again, even if she'll be extremely angry at first." At this Naruto chuckled nervously. "Even so, let us further discuss this at my shop. I think Ichigo here is about to bleed out. Oh dear, that would be bad now would it?"

"Ah…you're right. We should probably take care of that shouldn't we?"

XXXXXXX

Ichigo stirred in his sleep. He was troubled; he was so very cold, thinking he was about to die. But then he began to grow warmer and warmer, as if life was being forced back into him. Shifting a little, he finally began to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes to look at his surroundings.

"AHHHHHHH!" Yelled Ichigo.

"Hey your awake. Kisuke, he's awake." Naruto was crouched right beside Ichigo, bending his head so he was right above Ichigo's face.

"What the hell!" Ichigo screamed before scrambling away from Naruto towards the wall. After said action, Ichigo gasped in pain and held his aching wound while leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, you probably shouldn't move around that much. Your wounds might open up again, and that would be a pain in the ass for you _and _me." Naruto said before standing up to his full high. He was quite tall; he was a couple of inches taller than Kisuke at least.

"Ah, It seems you _are _up. How you feeling Ichigo?" Kisuke said as he walked into the doorway of the room.

Ichigo looked at the shopkeeper, and then looked at his surroundings. "So this is your house I presume?"

"Correct." Kisuke confirmed, taking his trusty fan out and waving it in front of his face

Ichigo shifted his eyes to Naruto, who was now was leaning against the doorway near Kisuke. "And who is that?" He asked motioning toward Naruto.

Kisuke looked at Naruto with a contemplative look. "Him? He's…a friend. Let me introduce you do Uzumaki Naruto. He'll be staying with here for a while." Naruto just waved a hand at Ichigo, not bothering to say anything.

Ichigo nodded his head and looked back to Kisuke. "So…you saved me?" Ichigo asked in sulky tone.

"Oh. Did you not want to be saved. Because if I didn't save you, you wouldn't be able to save Rukia." Seeing Ichigo's reaction, he continued. "Or have you already given up on that idea. If so, then maybe I shouldn't have saved you and Rukia could just die. Is that what you want, Ichigo?" Kisuke asked in a serious voice.

Ichigo grew angry at this. "Even I could rescue Rukia, how the hell do expect me do it? She's already back in the Soul Society! How can I follow her there?" Ichigo was breathing heavily as he looked down at the ground, helpless. "I can't do anything." He whispered.

"Do you honestly believe that? Or have you already given up? You know, there is more than one way to enter the soul society."

"Wha? You mean there _is_ way to get into Soul Society?" Ichigo exclaimed as he stood up. "How? Tell Me!"

"I'll tell you…but, only on one condition." Kisuke said while putting one finger up to emphasize. "For the next 10 days _I _will teach you how to fight properly."

"10 days? We don't have time for that! We have to save Rukia as soon as possible!" Ichigo immediately found himself on his back, once he finished speaking.

"Don't be stupid." Kisuke said dangerously as he held his cane right above Ichigo's face. "You should have learned form you fight earlier, that they easily over power you. If you go into Soul Society in your current condition, you _will_ die. Attacking those who obviously over power you, is nothing short of suicide." Kisuke pause and stood up while taking his cane away from Ichigo's face, allowing Ichigo to sit up also. "Usually, Soul Society wait's a full month before executions. That means I have 10 days to teach you. Then it will take another 7 days to get you into Soul Society. That gives you 13 days to save Rukia."

Ichigo looked away with a far away expression. "10 days. Will I be strong enough to save Rukia after 10 days?"

"If you're truly determined, yes. Your will has to be stronger than steel though."

The room fell in a silence. Ichigo finally sighed before speaking. "I don't really have a choice in this do I? Lets do this!"

"You know, I can help you train him too?" Kisuke and Ichigo looked to Naruto, who looked bored. "I won't be doing anything for a while, and I might as well do something useful."

"Hmm. Yes you could help also. Anyway…" Kisuke paused and pulled out a bottle of pills that had a skull label on it. "Your going to have to take one of these pill once every hour. These should help you recover much faster."

Ichigo looked a little concerned once he saw the skull label. "Eh…Why is there a skull label on the bottle?"

Kisuke continued, completely ignoring Ichigo's question. "By dinner time, you should be fully recovered. That is when you will begin your training. Until then, go to school. Today is your last day, right?" Ichigo nodded and began collecting his clothes, before heading home to get ready for school.

Soon, only Kisuke and Naruto remained in the room. "So…You'll help train him too? This should be easier then."

Naruto smiled, pushing off the wall and waling towards the previously used futon in the middle of the room. "Everything will be fine. I'm sure Ichigo will…"

"Meow" Naruto froze. He slowly looked behind his should at the doorway. A black house cat sat in the doorway, looking directly at Naruto with narrowed eyes.

"Hmm…Should I leave you two alone?" Kisuke said, looking back and forth between the two.

Naruto was about to reply, but was interrupted. "Yes. You should leave the two of us alone." The cat _spoke_ in what sounded like a deep man's voice. Kisuke nodded and left the room with a smile on his face.

The cat continued to stare at Naruto, and vice versa. The two stared at each other for a while, before the cat spoke. "You left me." Was all it said, causing Naruto to wince.

Naruto sighed, before sitting down on the futon. "I had to, Yoruichi." Naruto said seriously, after a few moments.

This only caused the cat's eyes to narrow further. "No, you didn't _have _to. And you sure as hell didn't have to by yourself. What could have possibly made you think that?" The cat, Yoruichi, said in a angry voice.

Naruto looked the cat dead I the eyes. "Yoruichi, you say that, but you know it's not true. I did have to go alone, and bringing you would have only made things harder. Trust me, I did not want to. If I had a choice, I would have stayed. You should understand that. I didn't want to hurt you." Naruto said, only making the cat more angry.

"You could have died damn it! How in the hell should I have know if you would live or not? If you didn't want to hurt me, you shouldn't have disappeared like that without telling me! Do you have any idea how worried I was? Damn it Naruto." By now tears were streaming down the cat's face. "You're such an idiot." The cat whispered. Yoruichi's eyes widened in surprise, as she found herself being cradled in Naruto's arms when she finished speaking.

"I'm sorry Yoruichi. I really am." Naruto whispered, as he held the cat to his chest. Once he had the cat in his arms, he walked back to the futon and sat down, placing the cat in his lap. "How about you come out Yoruichi?" The next thing Naruto knew, he was on his back with a very naked Yoruichi on top of him.

"I'm still mad at you, so don't get any idea." Yoruichi whispered, her voice still full with emotion, as she rested her head on Naruto's shoulder.

This only caused Naruto to lightly chuckle and wrap his arms around Yoruichi's bare back. "I wouldn't think of it." He whispered into her ear. He began to rub his hands up and down her back. Neither spoke, both comfortable with just lying there with each other.

Eventually Naruto broke the silence, causing Yoruichi's closed eyes to open partly. "Can you forgive me, Yoruichi?" Naruto spoke in a calm voice, even though he was nervous, and anxious as hell.

Yoruichi didn't answer at first, instead closing her eyes again. After a few moments she finally answered. "How could I not?" She said. "Even _if _you're the reason I was hurt, you're still the person that brought happiness into my life. Not forgiving you would only hurt me more."

Naruto's arms tightened around her back. "I'll make up for it, I promise." Naruto said before leaning his head down and kissing Yoruichi on the forehead.

"I'll keep you to that promise." She paused to light hit Naruto in the chest. "You better fulfill it." She weakly threatened, only causing Naruto to chuckle some more, which brought a small smile to her face. "I really missed you, you know?" Naruto stopped chuckling, her words ringing in his ears.

"Me too, Yoruichi. Me too." Naruto whispered. "But…look on the bright side; I wont be disappearing anymore so suddenly. Or at all for that matter. I'm going to say here with you."

"Is that a promise too?" Yoruichi asked quietly. "If so, then you better fulfill that one also."

Naruto smiled down at her. "I promise, Yoruichi." Naruto sighed tiredly. "But, right now, I think it's time I get some rest. You too. You going to sleep here, or…"

Yoruichi didn't bother answering with words, instead she just snuggled deeper into Naruto's chest.

Naruto smiled, before reaching for the discarded blanket, and covering the both of them. "Alright then. Sleep well, Yoruichi. And…once more, I'm sorry." With that, Naruto wrapped his arms around her again, and closed his eyes.

Yoruichi, lied there in silence, content with listening to Naruto's steady breath. "Apology accepted, Naruto." She whispered, even though Naruto couldn't here her, before closing her eyes and falling into the embrace of sleep.


End file.
